niveous
by nazzy and jerkez
Summary: We walked, holding tightly onto our weakness that refused to give in. —HitsuKarin. smaragdine!revised
1. Chapter 1

HI GUYS

Ok so this is kind of the revised/edited/new spin of my story _once upon a lifetime_ which I kind of have been neglecting these past… years. Ehehe. I've always wanted to edit it and since I've been waiting for so long, the arc of Bleach and the storyline has developed even further then I could ever imagine, making OUAL clearly AU. Characters and storylines I wanted to use in that story is now slightly difficult as every espada is dead (with the exception of Grimmjow) and Aizen is imprisoned and there's even been a time-skip! Yikes.

So, this is a new version of this story. The pairings will be maaaainly HitsuKarin, but IchiRuki and UlquiHime will appear so don't your worry. I will also take it very slowly story wise, so it will take maybe two or three chapters before Karin and Hitsugaya meet again just so the plot can function according to plan.

I… think that's it?

D:

Enjoy.

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_Through these days with nothing but darkness and conflict in view,__  
__we walked, holding tightly onto our weakness that refused to give in._

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She shifted in her bed, emitting a sigh as she let her gaze linger on the petite clock positioned on the nightstand next to her bed. _02.54_. Karin bit her lip slightly and closed her eyes, memorizing the time over and over again.

_He's still not home yet._

Even though she was used to it now, her brother disappearing in the middle of the day, arriving home at the late of night, she knew that he would never stay out this late. He'd usually be home before dinner. Karin let a grim smile escape her lips, remembering their dinners together and how it always played out; Dad and Ichigo arguing, Yuzu letting out her serene laugh and Karin just trying to eat in peace. Not that that ever happened, of course.

She picked up the clock and let her fingers stroke the dusty glass, inhaling and exhaling to the beat of the minute-hand, ticking and letting time pass by whether Karin wanted it to or not. She knew that she had no reason to be worried, she knew that in her heart but something told her it was different this time. While her brother was known for his spirit and his care for his friends, he was also very strong and she knew he could fight off opponents well, she'd even seen him. As the years passed, her powers grew and now she had no trouble taking care of a few hollows time to time, but she did not find it as enjoyable as Ichigo did. He lit up when talking about his shinigami duties, about his friends and everything in between, while Karin just wanted it to be over with.

He would rather be fighting—sword in hand and friends in heart—to his death rather than lying in bed and await his fate. She could understand him, and sometimes even envy him for his peaceful manners and easy mind. Karin herself has never wielded a sword. She'd been in fights, yes, but never a real fight where your life is on the line. She had not decided yet if she wanted to. It was tiring just kicking a football at her enemies, and she did it without heart.

But she wanted power.

Everyone had it. Orihime, Chad, Rukia… even her _fucking dad_ had it. Everyone excluding her. _It's not fair… _Karin let the clock fall down on the nightstand and she looked away, her eyes searching in the nightfall through the window for a flicker of orange, anything, that would make her feel safe and then fall to sleep without a second thought. But it never came, the orange hair never appeared and she couldn't even feel him in the area.

Sometimes she pondered if she would prefer to live in the normal world, where she would have the same low attention of ghosts and spirits and just evil things as her sister, and let the days go without worrying. Without the constant nagging in her head if he was alright, if her friends were alright and if her beloved sister was alright. Not knowing there was a constant threat and just live her life… would it be better?

_I still don't know the answer._

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Karin grunted. The clock read _03.24 _and she let out a deep exhale through her nose, trying to keep her composure but to no avail. She had been waiting for the creek of the door and his footsteps on the barren floor and hearing him breathing and enters his room and then shut the door as usual with a slam with no concern of his now sleeping family. But it never came. Karin opened her eyes slowly and realized that he was still not home, he was out there and maybe he was hurting and maybe he was alright but mainly Karin thought he was in danger. She looked out the window and saw the elegant snowflakes that danced in the sky, slowly falling towards the ground in nothing but a hurry in a graceful manner.

She escaped her comfy bed in a heartbeat and dressed appropriate and did what she did best.

She ran.

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"It's freezing!"

Karin couldn't help but exclaim the fact out loud to herself as if trying to convince her brain and at the same time scold it for putting on thin jeans and not the comfy sweatpants that had just been a few metres away from her bed. She sighed and continued to keep up her hurried pace, jogging through the empty streets of Karakura town with her breaths being the only sound she could hear, echoing off the walls of the alley. She hugged her leather jacket closer to her body in hope of emitting warmth and her onyx locks danced in the wind when she ran, reminding Karin that not only did she forget to tie it up in a ponytail, she also left her hair scrunchie on the night stand next to her bed. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and decided to increase the pace instead of letting the thoughts of annoyance rise like the plague in her mind. She rarely left her hair out with the exception of sleeping and showering as it would just get in her way (or rather, her face) when letting her locks rest on her shoulders. Karin did not even know why she had let it grow out so much as it had, and blamed her laziness for not calling her hairdresser in the last year.

She stopped in her tracks when she felt a presence.

Karin couldn't place it as it wasn't as familiar as the usual spirits she dealt with, but somehow she could feel it being more and more memorable. What she really caught her off guard was how strong the presence was. Like, deadly strong. Karin bit her lip and clenched her fist whilst trying to figure out her next move.

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone appearing behind her, the falling snowflakes increased in speed and tumbled around like in daze. Karin gulped.

_It's the same aura. He found me so quickly. I'm dead._

She did not want to turn around and she really tried to stay calm but then again, Karin Kurosaki were many things, and while obnoxious, loud and daring was one of them, so was spontaneous.

She met his gaze and immediately froze. He was tall, maybe even taller than Ichigo, and he wore a scowl on his face and something told Karin that it was a trademark of his although she didn't know why she even cared. His electric blue hair stood out like fireworks in the middle of the night and his eyes were a shade of blue she'd never seen before, almost the same colour as his hair but still not quite. He wore a long onyx coat that were a tight fit, especially around his biceps that hugged the material like its life depended on it, and beneath he had a loose fit white shirt and black jeans (they looked like chinos but then again it was dark and she had trouble seeing clearly) topped off with the original black seed converse.

He looked good, in some wicked way. And he was old, at least old enough to be in his thirties but his face was free from any proof that he was as such, with a jawbone so sharp it would probably cut her skin on impact and his lips small and pale.

But it was his eyes that made her body shake with fear. There was something called "smile with your eyes" and it was exactly what this man did. His mouth did not move while meeting her gaze but his eyes lit up like the fourth of July and it scared her, because it was that sort of happiness that didn't come from kittens or laughter or love.

_It's blood thirst_, Karin realized as her heart dropped like a stone in her chest.

Before she had a chance to speak her mind, he let out a grim laugh as to interrupt. "Well, you're the last person I thought I would see out here." He eyed her with his hands in his pockets, the gaze lingering on her body her hair her eyes her everything and somehow Karin felt naked in front of his gaze although she was fully clothed. It was like he saw through her skin and into her very being, her soul and her mind. "What'cha doing here, Kurosaki?"

Whatever Karin had been thinking prior to his question it was gone as her mind blanked.

"You…" She blinked as she tried to form the words in her mouth, "You know me?"

He simply smirked at her as he started to walk, surprisingly away from her, towards the bench positioned a few metres away hands still in pocket and mouth still tugged upwards in a sadistic grin. "Not you, of course. But your annoying prick to brother."

_Of course._ Karin rolled her eyes. _Ichigo knows every weirdo there is. Why am I not more surprised._

The man removed his hands from the pockets and Karin could see thanks to the dim moonlight that had emerged from behind the clouds that both his hands were covered in multiple scars and she tried not to wonder if maybe he fought with him once and if he did, why is the man still here and why isn't he dead, but Karin brushes away the thought when he yet again opens his mouth to speak.

"He really is, you know."

Karin raises her eyebrows in surprise and suspicion, letting her eyes follows his movement as he simply scoffs away the snow that up until now rested on the bench, falling silently to the ground and he sits down with a grunt, raising his arms and positioning them behind his head and entwined his fingers so his head rested on them. "He's what?"

"Annoying."

"Oh, that." Karin lets herself smile a bit. "Trust me, I know, I live with him."

The man with the blue hair looks at her and starts to laugh but this time it is more content, more happy and true than it was before. The killing intent is gone, she realizes and without her acknowledging it her feet start to move forward and too soon she finds herself on the bench as well, elbows bent on her thighs, resting her chin on the palms of her locked hands while deep in thought. She did not know this man, but she was hell-bent on finding out his identity. While yes, he may not be an ally, he may not also be an enemy; his guard was down and his presence felt more… calm. As calm as someone like him could feel.

She started to talk without looking at him. "Who are you?"

Karin heard the man snicker beside her and she wondered what it was that was so funny about her question. She felt him shift besides her, re-positioning himself on the cold bench and she could feel his eyes on her. He paused before answering. "I'm no one. No one of importance to you anyway."

Karin let out a shrug. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What I just said. This is nothing you should concern yourself about kiddo."

She fumed, her glance darting to him and made a grimace. "Seriously? And why is that?"

The man just sighed, it was obvious that she was starting to get on his nerves, and shrugged his shoulders slightly while wearing a bored expression on his pale face. "You shouldn't get involved. You should not even be able to see me; I was quite shocked when I felt someone watching me." He finished with a grin and stretched out his legs on the ground.

"What do you mean? Are you a ghost?"

He shrugged. "No, but let's just say I'm not supposed to be here."

She squinted at him, her palms now resting on her thighs and clenched together into fists. "Are… you an enemy?" When the man continued to stay silent, Karin bit her lip and continued. "To Ichigo, I mean…"

The silenced continued on and Karin closed her eyes slowly, looking away slightly. If he was, shouldn't he have killed her on sight or something? It didn't make any sense to her, but then again, he would not know who she was if he didn't know Ichigo well to recognize his siblings through their reiatsu. The puzzle was far from finished and Karin didn't have any pieces left to play.

"I was."

Upon hearing him talk again, Karin blinked and turned to him, greeted by his grim expression he wore and his fingers nibbling on his cloak. He exhaled. "We nearly killed each other. But in the end, that bastard didn't kill me. He spared me."

Karin realized that the entire time he'd been talking she'd been holding her breath. She exhaled slowly through her nose as she tried to seep in the memory he'd just relived. "Um, ok… wow. That's…"

The man shrugged again and gave her a weak smile. "I owe him one. But don't tell him that."

Swallowing slowly, Karin just nodded to the mysterious man and turned away her gaze.

He cracked a tint in his neck and she heard the bench creak loudly when he positioned himself upright and stood, hovering over her with eyebrows slightly raised. "Your reiatsu is impressive, girl. For your age, at least." When he saw her eyes widen, he simply chuckled. "But it's obvious that you can't control it yet."

Karin opened her mouth slightly to answer but the man with no name started to walk away from her and the bench, and the snow continued to fall in silence. She flew up from the bench and raised a fist in the air, gritting her teeth. "Ey! What do you mean, not control it?" She could hear him snicker but his footsteps didn't slow down and he didn't stop he just continued forward without acknowledging her or her question. Karin fumed. "Seriously! Who are you?!"

She saw him stop and for a moment, a few seconds or what felt like a lifetime, he finally turned around with that smirk he proudly wore and positioned his hands in his pockets, casually shrugging his shoulders slightly. "You have high spiritual power for a human. But then again, you're a Kurosaki. I don't even try to act surprised anymore when it comes to your bloody family." He laughed when he saw her reaction. "If I were you, I would talk to your brother about it."

Karin gulped. "That's why I'm out here… I'm looking for him. He's—he's not home yet and…"

The mysterious man gave her a grim smile. "It's Kurosaki we're talking about. He's fine, I assure you. He wouldn't drop dead even if the gods wanted him to."

She smiled at his reassurance, agreeing in silence.

"It's late. You should go home, girl." With that said he simply turned around again and raised his right hand in the air and waved at her. "See ya around."

"Ah! Wait!"

Although he didn't stop walking something told her that he was waiting for her to speak because his pace decreased slightly. "I'm Karin. Who… are you?"

She heard him shrug before answering. "Grimmjow. Now go to sleep, girl."

The man—Grimmjow—increased his pace yet again and Karin simply stood in the dim moonlight and watched his back disappear into the darkness of the night.

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I'M ALIVE

Sort of.

(This will NOT be GrimmKarin, sorry fans. I'm thinking more of a GrimmKarin!friendship thing.)

Oh, and remember that I'm not English per se so if there are grammatical errors or minor spelling faults, ignore them. Thanks in advance!

Jerkez, signing off!

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	2. Chapter 2

Of course he was alright.

On some level, Karin was annoyed that the blue haired man—Grimmjow—was indeed correct when he told her that Ichigo was alright. She was his sister, for god's sake, she should know that just by going by her guts, but something had told her this time that it was different. It was like a scene out of any movie ever made, where the main character sits and has a creeping sensation and somehow they just know that something has happened to someone they love, and they are indeed right. And at the end before the credits roll, they are reunited once again and they comfort each other because now everything was going to be alright.

But it wasn't.

After her meeting with Grimmjow, she had simply pouted while pocketed her hands and walked back to her house and went directly to sleep. She did not want to think of this night more than necessary, she had too many thoughts whirling around in her petite body and too many questions unanswered, but what bothered Karin the most was the fact that maybe she did not want to answers—because, just maybe, they had the possibility to change her and her very being.

"_Your reiatsu is impressive, girl. But it's obvious you can't control it yet."_

His words echoed in her head more than she would like to, and when slowly succumbing to the darkness of the night Karin dreamt of an ivory palace placed in a vast and deserted land, fire that she felt right through her very core and she couldn't put it out no matter how hard she tried, she could only increase the flames, make them bigger and stronger and she couldn't breathe until wings of ice saved her, the glistening water making her feel at ease and finally made the flames go away.

Karin awoke when her alarm set off, the clock positioned on the night stand ringing with no end until she sluggishly turned around to face it and turned it off, stretching her arms over her head and yawning out her silent words of misery. She had not gotten a good night's sleep, and if it was anything that could put her out of her mood, it was feeling drowsy and tired. Well, the day was up for a great start, Karin thought dryly. She flung her legs over the bed, cracked a kink in her neck and stood up whilst scratching her neck slowly and looked around her room for clothing. Easier said than done, since cleaning her room was usually not a priority and finding clothes that didn't smell like soccer practice turned out to be quite the challenge. She settled with long, black jeans and a grey t-shirt that was slightly too big for her and had ragged ends, but she didn't care because it was on sale when she found it and she instantly fell in love with it and if anything, Karin liked clothes that wasn't popular or normal per se. She quickly brushed her hair and put it up in a ponytail, picked out a pair of socks that wasn't dirty or used and stepped out of her room.

As she started going down the stairs, the thought of Ichigo popped into her head and she immediately stopped in her tracks—_what if he wasn't home yet what if he really is hurt what if he's dead_—and inhaled sharply. Tainted with hesitance, she slowly continued to walk down the stairs and approached the kitchen with hands curled into fists, swallowing down her fears.

"I said pass the milk, Yuzu! Geez, do you have a hearing problem or what?"

Karin's eyes widened at the sound of that familiar voice.

"Well I want to say that I'm sorry but I'm not, so hush!"

She could honestly say that she had never been happier hearing her siblings quarrel over the breakfast table. Karin literally flew down the remaining flight of stairs and appeared in the kitchen within seconds only to witness the scene where Yuzu and Ichigo both held the milk cart at each end and grimaced, pulling the milk to their own way across the table, obviously having a fight who to use it first.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Ichigo!"

When hearing his name, Ichigo turned to his other sister standing in the entryway to the kitchen and blinked, opening his mouth to reply when his face came in contact with her foot and was quickly kicked across the room. He hit the wall with a large thud and bit his lip in pain. "_WHAT THE HELL_?"

"And where the fuck was you last night?"

Ichigo winced and clutched his right arm which had taken most of the damage of his sister roundhouse kick. "I was at Rukia's! God damn it, since when did you get inhuman super-strength?"

Karin gritted her teeth.

She had been worrying her _ass _off, and all this time he had been fine—_cuddling with his fricking girlfriend_—while she roamed the streets trying to find him.

"Well, why the hell didn't you say anything?"

Her brother simply rolled his eyes and slowly stood up, brushing his neck. "I'm sorry; I didn't know I had to ask for permission whenever I wanted to go to Soul Society." He sing-sang with sarcasm, his eyes leering at her as he brushed past her, heading for the refrigerator and raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Why do you care anyway?"

Karin bit her lip, unable to answer. Looking back, she knew back in her head that Ichigo went time to time to Soul Society to visit Rukia, and whenever he was there she couldn't trace his reiatsu as he was too far away—technically in another dimension—so she wasn't to blame. Somehow she had overlooked this and as a result, completely forgotten why he wasn't home and got extremely worried. Not that he would have the pleasure of knowing that, of course.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just wondered where you were last night. No biggie."

Ichigo poured the milk into an indigo ceramic bowl as he leered at her. "If you say so."

As a reply, Karin just hummed silently and went to the cupboard, opened with a light creak and chose the type of bread she wanted. As she lazily picked up the bread knife, her eyes slanted over to her brother sitting at the table and eating his cereal in peace and quiet—Yuzu had just left the kitchen and Karin could vaguely hear her bedroom door close on the upper floor—and Karin just continues to stare at the bread in her palm and tries to steer out the words in her head, tries to ignore that sentence that is somehow set on repeat in her brain.

"_You should talk to your brother about it."_

While she knows that yes, that is exactly what she should do, she hesitates. Like all important questions there will be an imperative answer, and this one _might _just change her life a little. It's a step she isn't daring to take. Not yet. So she grabs a plate and places the slightly burnt toast on it and walks to the table, sits down on the chair to Ichigo's right and reaches for the milk.

As she pours down the perfect shade of white down her glass, she gives him a smile and let her head rest in the palm on her hand; elbow plopped up on the table as to support the weight. "So, how is everything with Rukia?"

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Things were more hectic than usual in Soul Society, Toushiro concluded whilst a sigh escaped his pale lips. Reports flew in like paper planes, messages about casualties happening just outside their borders was piled up on his used-to-be-neatly desk and he was drowning in blank documents waiting to be signed. Every now and then someone would knock on his door and ask if he was busy—_why, yes I am currently trying not to kill myself, but what's up?_—and thus more paperwork was needed done, and done soon. Soul Society had a shortage of people since the war with Yhwach and the passing of Yamamoto, and even though Hitsugaya was neck up in duties and form-filling alike, he also knew that he wasn't the only one—everyone was trying their hardest to bring back Soul Society to its former glory, and somehow that single motion was the drive and compassion he needed to keep working and keep signing those damned documents until his fingers would bleed.

Everything was a mess, it seemed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Rangiku and he even dared to say that he missed her cheerful voice times to times—not that he would ever confess to it if brought up—since being more or less locked up in his office was not only utterly boring verging on dreadful, he admitted to feeling more lonely than usual.

There was something about this war that was different. Yhwach was a dreadful foe, and his powers were beyond terrifying—Hyorinmaru was taken from him in the blink of an eye, making him feel powerless and even afraid. He knew that being separated from him was one of the many reasons Toushiro felt lonely and empty, and when he went to bed later that night he pondered about many things whilst unable to sleep.

His home was in ruins. His sword stolen. His friends killed.

Toushiro tossed and turned in his slightly too large bed and gritted his teeth. In times like this, he would talk to Hyorinmaru and somehow find peace—his zanpakuto was more than a sword, it was also one of his closest friends and when that familiar thought rose in his head only to be fragmented when he realized it was impossible now that they were separated, Toushiro grunted silently and discarded the ivory quilt covering his petite body, swung his legs over the bed and quickly walked to the other end of the room and put on his yukata. As he exited his bedroom, he paced to his desk and quietly lit a candle next to the documents.

Without a sound, he picked up his pen and started writing.

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It was one of the coldest days this year, the newspaper had concluded and Karin couldn't agree more. Strolling down the streets of Karakura Town was not only Karin but her twin sister Yuzu as well, smiling as always and clasping her pale hands behind her back as they squinted at the windows of several shops, trying to find some clothes to buy. After a quick session of cleaning her room, Karin had not only realized that most of her clothes were worn out from washing them and using them almost every day, but the clothes that she did have was not a lot. Folding them neatly on the bed she saw that her wardrobe consisted of four shabby t-shirts—in the colours grey, black, grey and hey look some more grey—two black skinny jeans and one black hoodie she wore with everything in between.

She had owned a pair of shorts but one rainy soccer practice her friends thought it would be funny to throw her clothes in the muddy pools surrounding the field and thus destroying them.

Karin was not amused.

As her sister had witnessed this terrible scene—in Yuzu's world, not owning the latest of trends was even worse than going to the dentist—she thought some shopping would be nice, and had simply dragged Karin along against her will. Now when they were actually here and she could pick out some new clothes that didn't have ragged ends, maybe it would be fun. Some bonding time with Yuzu, maybe some coffee when they're done and Karin actually had to admit that after shopping you always felt accomplished, looking forward to wear the new clothes, even if it's just around the house.

She releashed a sigh and a puff of dim air came out with it. Now it was really freezing, Karin concluded and rubbed her clothed arms through the fabric in hope of emitting some very welcomed warmth.

"Karin, we're here!"

Being deep in thought, Karin slowly raised her head and mumbled a "What?" before her eyes trailed to the store she was pointing to.

It was pink, frilly, filled with women clad in way to bright colours and tons of makeup. All Karin could see was pink, some more pink and some shade of yellow here and there.

"Let's see if we can find something for you in here!"

Karin mentally gagged.

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The sun was rising when Toushiro awoke, sluggishly blinking away the tiredness in his eyes and rubbed them until he could see clearly again. He let out a silent yawn and gazed at his surroundings, seeing the shimmering golden distance and cursed mentally. He flung out from his desk and went straight into the shower, the rippling droplets of water trailing downwards his body until the scalding water turned cold to touch. His ivory hair clung to his forehead and Toushiro grunted, picking up the neatly folded towel he places on the sink the day before and dried himself until his hair was spiky—as it should be—again.

He observed his reflection in the mirror for what felt like hours. He had managed to grow a few inches, something that Toushiro had taken much pride in these past few years. The dark circles beneath his eyes weren't something he was proud of though: sleep was finally catching up on him and it wasn't a pretty sight. He sighed and flung the towel across his shoulder and entered his bedroom, quickly scanned his wardrobe and settles for his usual tabi.

Toushiro stood by the coffee-machine, trying to wake himself mentally by the strong beverage when there's a single knock on his door. He blinks until he realizes who it is, and strolls across the living room silently to the door to open himself.

"Ah. You came."

She smiles at him, bowing gently before entering. "Hitsugaya-taicho."

Toushiro gave her a quick nod and followed her into the living room, and gestured at the ivory cup in his hand. "Want some coffee?"

"No thanks. I've been up for quite some time now." She paused before opening her mouth again, and within a fragment of a moment her eyes hardened and Toushiro knew the small talk was over. "I awoke when I got your message. Are you sure about your decision?"

He gave her a quick smile. "It's been on my mind for quite some time now, and I don't think I'm the only one that has thought about it, if I'm correct?"

The girl laughed quietly and tucks an onyx lock behind her ear. "I know. I've actually talked with Ichigo about it but—"

"I'm sure he wasn't thrilled with the idea."

"Not exactly, no. He rabbled about at least a dozen of reasons why she shouldn't, danger being mentioned more than once." Her eyes softened at the distant memory but quickly sobered up when she met Toushiro's gaze. "I'm not disagreeing with him though. It would be hard, just entering the Shinigami Academy…"

"You did it, and you came from the streets." At her heated gaze, Toushiro shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you did."

Rukia groaned. "Yeah, but I was brought in to the Kuchiki clan. If not, I would probably still be there."

They both stayed silent for a while until she broke the silence. "We don't even know if she's going to accept. It would be a life-changing decision."

Toushiro could only nod as an answer, too deep in thought to listen properly. Rukia was right though, he didn't know if she would accept his proposal—but in all the years he'd known her he'd realized that she was the most reckless and spontaneous person he'd ever met. And she had guts, and that was sometimes more important than power and money. Especially here. Especially now.

Toushiro downed his cup of coffee and put it on the grand-sized table. "Well, the only way to find out is to ask her."

At this, Rukia's eyes widened. "You're coming too? Can you do that, with all the paperwork—"

"I finished them last night, so I'm free to go as I please."

She gave him a sly grin. "Hmmmm, asking her yourself is so important, I assume?"

Toushiro didn't reply in words, he only grunted his dismay and earned a laugh from Rukia who went for the door. As Toushiro put on his shoes, he realized that he going with her wasn't necessary—Rukia could well ask without him but when he had sent away the letter to the Kuchiki mansion requesting for Rukia to enter the Human World for a mission, he had stayed at the desk eyeing his paperwork laying across him. The moment he had written Karin's name on that piece of paper something had awoken within him, something that had been slumbering for so many years and Toushiro had preferred it that way—feelings was unnecessary when it came to the lives of Shinigamis. Being constantly at war and practically living on the battlefield didn't offer much free-time to meet a loved one, nor falling for one for that matter.

He hadn't taken interest in the girls at Soul Society—for him, they were his teammates and subordinates, either too old or too young or _too tall _so for Toushiro it had been easy not develop anything for anyone.

Karin was something else entirely. She lacked manners, called him by his name and not by his rank as it ought to be, was a knucklehead through and through and did whatever she wanted—not to mention her complete lack of sense. But when she talked he couldn't stop staring at her lips, when she laughed he was mesmerized that how someone so diabolical could sound so serene and when she walked away from him, her long onyx hair swaying in the wind, he could not look away.

As he and Rukia exited his manor, there were many things Toushiro was and wasn't sure of. Karin remained a tad of both.

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FINALLY

UPDATED

SO SORRY GUYS

Ugh this was a pain to write, I tell you. Hope you all liked it though! Even though some scenes turned out differently, I liked the result.

Rukia and Toushiro off to the human world! And just what is it that they want to talk to Karin about? Hmmmmmmmm hmmmm that's a tough one….. not.

Review, darlings!

_Jerkez_


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